The foods that improve insulin sensitivity are soluble fiber, colorful fruits and vegetables, four spices, green tea and apple cider vinegar. Soluble fiber comes from legumes, avocado, chia seeds, flaxseeds, Brussels sprouts and oranges. The spices are fenugreek, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. Pair them with fewer processed carbs, artificial trans fats and added sugars.
Insulin sensitivity is how your body responds after insulin is released. When sensitivity is high, the body needs only a small amount of insulin to lower blood sugar. When sensitivity is low, the body may fail to respond even to high levels of insulin. Insulin is a vital hormone. It controls blood sugar levels. The opposite of insulin sensitivity is insulin resistance.
Insulin is made by beta cells in the pancreas. When cells are insulin resistant, they can’t use insulin well. This means you are likely to have high blood sugar. When your pancreas senses high blood sugar, it makes more insulin to push past the resistance. But this may not help in the long run. Chronic insulin resistance is common in type 2 diabetes. It may deplete (use up) the beta cells in the pancreas. Also, high blood sugar over a long time can damage nerves and organs. Improving insulin sensitivity can help reduce insulin resistance.
How can you improve insulin sensitivity? 8 ways
1. Eat More Soluble Fiber
There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber helps form stool that can move easily through the bowels. Soluble fiber plays a huge role in insulin sensitivity. A study published in NCBI showed that soluble fiber plays a role in raising insulin sensitivity. Another study showed that women who ate more soluble fiber had significantly lower insulin resistance. Soluble fiber feeds friendly bacteria in your gut. Those bacteria have been linked to lower insulin resistance.
Foods rich in soluble fiber include legumes, avocado, chia seeds, flaxseeds, Brussels sprouts, and fruits like oranges.
2. Eat More Colorful Fruit and Vegetables
Colorful fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants. These wipe out free radicals. Free radicals can cause harmful inflammation and insulin resistance.
3. Use Herbs and Spices
Several spices help with this too. They include:
- Fenugreek seeds are high in soluble fiber. A 2001 study concluded that “fenugreek seeds improves glycemic control and decreases insulin resistance in mild type-2 diabetic patients.”
- Turmeric contains an active part called curcumin. Curcumin is a strong antioxidant and fights inflammation. Both help reduce insulin resistance.
- Ginger contains a compound called gingerol. It helps cells take up sugar and improves insulin sensitivity.
- Cinnamon is known to lower blood sugar and raise insulin sensitivity. Yet other studies have shown that cinnamon can mimic the action of insulin in fat cells.
4. Drink More Green Tea
Green tea is a good drink choice for people with type 2 diabetes. Green tea has been linked to higher insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar. Green tea also has antioxidants that help fight free radicals. It has many other health benefits too.
5. Try Apple Cider Vinegar
Vinegar is the key ingredient in apple cider vinegar. It could help raise insulin sensitivity by reducing blood sugar and improving the effectiveness of insulin. Vinegar also slows gastric emptying (how fast the stomach empties). That gives the body more time to absorb sugar. So insulin has more time to act. Apple cider vinegar can be added to cold salads or drinks.
6. Cut Down on Carbs
Carbs are the main driver of high sugar levels and insulin release. When carbs are broken down, they release sugar into the blood. They are an essential source of energy for the body. When the body breaks carbs down into glucose and releases it into the blood, the pancreas releases insulin. Insulin moves the sugar from the blood into the cells. Eating too many carbs could cause insulin resistance, because the body makes too much insulin. Eating fewer carbs could raise insulin sensitivity. This does not mean cutting out all carbs. It means eating fewer and spreading them out. Refined grains are a different matter: cut them out. Processed carbs likely to trigger insulin resistance include white rice, pasta, and white bread.
7. Avoid Artificial Trans Fats
Trans fats are partially hydrogenated oils. They are usually added to processed foods to make them last longer. They also add taste. Foods that often contain artificial trans fats include cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts, and fried fast foods. Artificial trans fats are mostly found in the more processed foods.
Trans fats have been shown to cause inflammation and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared trans fats unsafe to eat in 2018. But manufacturers have yet to put this order in place. It is up to you, the buyer, to check the ingredient list before you buy any processed food.
8. Reduce Your Intake of Artificial Sugars
Artificial sugars are mostly found in processed foods. They contain two main types of sugar: high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar, also called sucrose. Fructose has been linked to insulin resistance even in people with no diabetes. Candy, sugar-sweetened drinks, cakes, and pastries are likely to have a lot of artificial sugars.
What supplements improve insulin sensitivity?
Natural supplements are a debated topic. You may need to talk with your physician. But if you have been diagnosed with insulin resistance, you may benefit from supplements that raise insulin sensitivity. They include chromium, berberine and magnesium. These are linked to better insulin sensitivity. Another compound, resveratrol, is found in the skin of red grapes and other berries. It also appears to raise insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.
Supplements can interact with other medications. So it is important to talk with your doctor before you start taking them.
Frequently asked questions
What is insulin sensitivity?
Insulin sensitivity is how strongly your body responds to insulin. When sensitivity is high, a small amount of insulin brings blood sugar down. When it is low, the body may fail to respond even to high levels of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar. Beta cells in the pancreas make it.
What is the difference between insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance?
They are opposites. Insulin resistance means cells cannot use insulin well, so blood sugar stays high. The pancreas answers by making more insulin. That does not solve the problem over time. Chronic resistance is common in type 2 diabetes, and it may deplete the pancreas’s beta cells. Raising insulin sensitivity is how you lower insulin resistance.
What foods make insulin resistance worse?
Three groups. Processed carbs such as white rice, pasta and white bread. Artificial trans fats, found in cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts and fried fast foods. And added sugars, meaning high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar, in candy, sugar-sweetened drinks, cakes and pastries. Fructose has been linked to insulin resistance even in people without diabetes.
Does apple cider vinegar help insulin sensitivity?
Yes. Vinegar, the key ingredient in apple cider vinegar, can raise insulin sensitivity by lowering blood sugar and improving the effectiveness of insulin. It also slows gastric emptying. That gives the body more time to absorb sugar and gives insulin more time to act. Add it to cold salads or drinks.
Related reading
References
1. NCBI (2011): Trans Fatty Acids Induce Vascular Inflammation and Reduce Vascular Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial Cells. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3247279/
2. NCBI (2013): Adverse metabolic effects of dietary fructose: results from the recent epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23594708
3. NCBI (2014): The impact of soluble dietary fiber on gastric emptying, postprandial blood glucose and insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24901089
4. NCBI (2013): The Role of Gut Microbiota on Insulin Resistance. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705322/
5. NCBI (2001): Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seeds on glycaemic control and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a double blind placebo controlled study. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11868855
6. NCBI (2014): Effect and mechanisms of action of vinegar on glucose metabolism, lipid profile, and body weight. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25168916
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
